Claire Ellis: English Tutor and Mentor

Claire Ellis is an online English tutor who mentors other ESL teachers in the Off2Class Facebook group. In 2022, she tutored English Learners as part of our summer pilot with Tulsa Public Schools. Read on to learn more about Claire’s teaching expertise, and how she became a tutor and mentor at Off2Class.

Supporting English Learners with Montessori techniques 

Claire has been teaching children and adults since the 1990s, and has expertise in Montessori and ESL education. She found her love for teaching English while working at an International School in Malawi, central Africa. Many of the children didn’t speak English, and Claire drew on Montessori teaching skills to offer one-to-one ESL sessions. In 2015, she decided to specialize in ESL after completing a teaching degree (BEd.) and TESOL training. Claire began teaching online in April 2020, and brings a wealth of experience to the Off2Class community.

Connecting with other educators

For over six years, Claire has been using Off2Class to teach English to adults. After joining the Off2Class Facebook group, she began to connect with other teachers and the Off2Class team, informally sharing the best practices that she had learned while using Off2Class in her own classrooms. Sometimes this meant chatting by direct message, or even meeting on Zoom to talk them through the platform as a tutor. She is now a mentor in the group, providing peer support to countless other ESL teachers. 

In 2022, Claire happened to be in Toronto, Canada and contacted Off2Class to ask if she could visit the Head Office. She was delighted to meet Kris Jagasia, CEO, and Aliya Kahn, Head of Customer Success. Her expertise as an Off2Class user and a teacher meant it was a natural step to join the tutoring team for the pilot program in Tulsa Public Schools in summer 2022. 

Innovative support for students

In July 2022, Claire played a key role in an innovative new summer program designed to support refugees in Tulsa. She was one of the leading tutors in a supplemental English Language Development program, delivered by Off2Class in partnership with Tulsa Public Schools. Over a period of four weeks, Claire and other Off2Class tutors provided online tutoring to middle and high school refugee newcomers. The aim of the program was to prepare the newcomer students for the academic year by introducing them to their new academic environment and encouraging language development. Off2Class and Tulsa Public Schools are both committed to a teacher-facilitated approach to instruction, and Claire provided vital, personalized support to students as an online tutor.

Growing alongside the company

Although she had been using Off2Class for six years, Claire is constantly learning. “It is an amazing experience to be working for a young and innovative company,” she said. “I am excited for how I will develop over the next months as I improve on the job.”

Claire is one of the fantastic English Tutors at Off2Class. Interested in learning more about how we support school districts and teachers of English Learners? Book a demo with our friendly sales team today.